Houston Community College System
Ability Services
Student Handbook
Table of Contents
I.
Introduction
II.
Federal and state laws
III.
Services for Students with Disabilities
• Admissions
• Reasonable Accommodations for Standardized Placement
tests
• Financial Aid
• New Student Orientation
• Faculty Liaison
• Peer Notetakers
• Adaptive Technology
• Discrimination
IV.
Services for Learning Disabilities, Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder & Acquired Brain Injury
V.
Services for Visual Impairments
VI.
Services for Deaf and Hard of Hearing
VII.
Fire and Emergency Evacuations
VIII. Confidentiality
I.
Introduction
The following statements summarize policies and procedures
specifically related to students with disabilities. The official “Policy and
Procedure” should be consulted for detailed information. Each qualified
person shall receive appropriate accommodations to ensure equal
access to educational opportunities, programs and activities in the
most integrated setting appropriate.
II.
Federal and state laws
This policy is consistent with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of
1973, which states that no recipient of federal financial assistance may
discriminate against a qualified handicapped individual solely because
of handicap. This policy is also consistent with the Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990 and its Amendments and the Texas
Handicappers' Civil Rights Act (as amended). The policies and
procedures that follow are the means by which faculty, staff, and
students of the Houston Community College endorse and will apply the
conditions of Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act to
students.
III.
Services for Students with Disabilities
Ability Services offers selected student services that are not provided
by other college offices or outside organizations. Staff in Ability
Services assist students in negotiating disability-related barriers to the
pursuit of their education. They strive to improve access to programs,
activities, and facilities. They promote increased awareness of
disability issues on campus. Services from Ability Services are free of
charge.
The decision to use services is a matter of individual choice. Our
experience has been that students achieve higher levels of academic
and personal success when they demonstrate initiative and
assertiveness.
Admissions
Applicants should remember they are working with a process that
involves several offices and many people. Prospective students
should begin the application process early in their senior year or the
semester before they plan to enroll at Houston Community College.
Transfer applicants are also welcome.
The Admissions Office staff considers all applicants equally.
Houston Community College is an open-door admissions institution.
To become a student at Houston Community College, go to
www.hccs.edu to complete the online application.
Reasonable accommodations for standardized placement
tests
If special accommodation (such as extra time, cassette version,
Braille copy, etc.) is needed to take the TSI Assessment, applicants
should contact the Ability Services office, at the college where they
plan to test, to request accommodations. Documentation of the
qualifying disability will be required and accommodations will be
determined on a case-by-case basis.
Financial Aid
An important consideration in applying for financial aid is time.
Begin early! If you submit the paper work before the deadlines, you
will be better able to work out any problems that occur.
If you plan to request financial assistance from the Division of
Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS), it is especially
important that you complete this application process early. These
agencies are a resource used in addition to funds that the student,
parent or other sources could provide. Applications for financial aid
(particularly the Pell Grant) must be made before the Division of
Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) can determine the
nature and type of aid they will provide.
Some students with disabilities will be eligible to take a reduced
course load without losing their financial aid. Speak to an ADA
Counselor to see if you are eligible. Keep in mind that Houston
Community College, DARS, or tuition waiver for deaf/hard of
hearing and blind students will not take care of the financial
aid process. You have the major responsibility to meet deadlines
and be aware of the policies and procedures governing your
financial assistance. For specific information about financial aid or
assistance filling out forms, contact the Office of Financial Aid at
your local campus or go to www.fafsa.ed.gov.
New Student Orientation
Accommodations are made upon request to meet specific needs
during orientation. This includes placement testing. Call the ADA
Counselor at the Ability Services Office in advance in order to make
arrangements. Because the ultimate responsibility for selecting the
proper courses and completing degree requirements lies with the
student, all students should read and understand the information in
the HCC Catalog and Time Schedule. In addition, the following
suggestions are made: Students with disabilities should begin
planning their schedules well before registration. Students with
visual impairments may need time to become oriented to a new
building or to order taped textbooks. Deaf/Hard of Hearing
Students are strongly encouraged to register in advance to
guarantee interpreting or captioning services are arranged.
Classroom Accommodation Concerns
Students should speak with the instructor before or during the first
week of class regarding any special needs. You must have an
accommodation letter from the Ability Services Office at the college
of attendance in order to receive reasonable accommodation. The
letter verifies your disability and requests accommodations to meet
your specific needs. If an instructor is unwilling to make a
reasonable accommodation requested in your accommodation
letter, contact the Ability Services office at the college of
attendance for assistance as soon as possible.
Faculty is encouraged to modify, rather than waive, course or
degree requirements. Requests for curriculum modifications should
be brought to the attention of the Academic or Workforce Division
Chair. We strongly do not encourage lowering academic standards
for students with disabilities nor is it required.
Notetaking Assistance
Some students with disabilities will record lectures for reviewing
later. Other students prefer a volunteer notetaker in the class to
provide a copy of their notes in order to supplement the student’s
notes.
Notetakers will:
-Write down all relevant information including lecture notes, test
and quiz dates, assignments, and important vocabulary.
-Attend all classes, be on time, and be prepared to take notes. (A
notetaker who is unable to attend a class should inform the
instructor.)
-Provide notes to the instructor for copying.
Students will:
-Write notes for themselves unless incapable of doing so.
-Use the notetaker’s notes to fill in your own notes.
-Read their notes over to check for assignments and dates.
-Ask the Instructor about anything in the notes that is unclear.
Adaptive Technology
Ability Services provides adaptive equipment for use on campus.
Equipment includes large print monitors, CCTV’s, Comtek units,
Jaws, and a variety of software packages. Limited training is
provided by the Ability Services staff. For more information, contact
Ability Services well in advance of the start of the semester.
Discrimination
The Office of Institutional Equity coordinates the college's
compliance with Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of
1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act and its amendments.
The college does not discriminate against students with disabilities
in recruitment, admission, or treatment after admission. In
addition, the college makes reasonable accommodations to permit
students with disabilities to fulfill academic requirements and
provides auxiliary aids to ensure that they are not excluded from
programs because of their disabilities. Students who believe that
the college may not be meeting these responsibilities or who
believe that they have been otherwise discriminated against based
upon their disability may contact the ADA Counselor at the Ability
Services Office.
IV.
Services for Learning Disabilities (LD), Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)
The purpose of this section is to provide a description of the services
available at Houston Community College and allow you to compare
them to the services available at other campuses. All of the services
described here are available for students with a LD, ADHD, or an ABI.
However, eligibility for specific accommodations and/or services is
always based on the strengths and weaknesses that are reported in
the psycho-educational assessment or any other documentation that a
student supplies to the Ability Services Office.
Taped Textbooks
We have services available through Recordings for the Blind and
Dyslexic (RFB & D). The address to contact is:
Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFB & D) 20 Rozel
Rd., Princeton, NJ 08540, (800) 22l- 4792.
Equipment Loan
Ability Services loans out some equipment including handheld cassette
recorders and Comtek units. To request equipment speak to your ADA
Counselor.
V.
Services with Visual Impairments
Students with a visual disability must plan their schedules well in
advance of each term because support services such as textbooks on
tape, special equipment or readers must be arranged before the term
begins. Students should consult their instructors in advance about
classroom accommodations, teaching techniques, and testing
procedures.
Orientation and Mobility
Depending on the individual, it may be necessary for some students to
receive orientation and mobility training. This is done through the
Division of Blind Services or Lighthouse.
Division of Blind Services (DBS)
DBS is a state-federal program, which provides financial and other
assistance to eligible blind or visually impaired students while they are
in school. To be eligible for services, students must meet DBS
requirements for certification as “legally blind.”
Readers
Reader services will be available for Testing ONLY. Please contact your
ADA counselor for further information. Closed Circuit Television
(CCTV) and JAWS services are available.
VI.
Services for Deaf and Hard of Hearing
We provide interpreting services and Computer-Aided Real time
Captioning (CART). Contact the Supervisor of Interpreting Services at
(713)-718-6333.
Assistive Listening Devices
Each semester Ability Services will lend FM amplification systems for
eligible students to use in the classroom and other school related
functions. If you plan to use a FM system on a long-term basis, it is
suggested that you purchase your own FM system or ask your
rehabilitation counselor to purchase one for you.
VII. Fire and Emergency Evacuations
The issue of safe evacuation in case of a fire or other emergency is an
important concern on campus. The major problem is that during an
emergency most elevators cease to operate for reasons related to
smoke and electrical fires. Therefore, the best method for your
evacuation in a particular situation becomes most important. You
should consider the following guidelines when you are making an
evacuation plan or are evacuating:
- If you have an attendant, the two of you should discuss emergency
evacuation plans in advance.
- If you are unable to use the stairways independently, it may
sometimes be advisable to remain near an elevator or major
stairway to allow fire department or security personnel to locate
you quickly.
- Keep as many closed doors as possible between you and the fire.
Seal off the cracks with clothing.
- Call 911 to alert the fire department of your location.
- If you have a window to the outside, make sure the door is closed
then open the window slightly and signal the fire fighters.
- Do not use elevators; as indicated above, they may be hazardous
during fires. Only trained firefighters are qualified to judge the
safety of using an elevator in a particular fire emergency.
These guidelines are offered as general suggestions and not an official
plan of action. Your safety depends on your judgment and knowledge of
general safety precautions.
VIII. Confidentiality
Ability Services professional staff is very sensitive to and respectful of
both your rights to privacy and confidentiality. However, you may also
want to remind your instructors of your right to confidentiality.